Transimpedance amplifier with bandwidth extender

ABSTRACT

A transimpedance amplifier with an input configured to receive a current input from an upstream device and output configured to present an output voltage. In one configuration, there are three amplifier stages in the transimpedance amplifier connected in series. A feedback path with feedback resistor connects between the input and output of the transimpedance amplifier. A bandwidth extender circuit connects between a stage output and a stage input of the transimpedance amplifier. In a three-stage embodiment, the bandwidth extender circuit extends between an input of the second stage and the output of the second stage. The bandwidth extender includes at least one active device configured to provide positive feedback to increase gain. The bandwidth extender circuit may be automatically or selectively deactivated to filter unwanted frequency components.

PRIORITY CLAIM

This application is a divisional of and claims priority to U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 14/839,747 filed on Aug. 28, 2015, which claimspriority to and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No.62/194,745 filed on Jul. 20, 2015, the contents of which areincorporated by reference in its entirety herein.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to transimpedance amplifiers and in particular toa method and apparatus for selectively improving the bandwidthcapability of transimpedance amplifiers.

RELATED ART

In electronics, a transimpedance amplifier, (TIA) is a widely useddevice configured as a current-to-voltage converter, most oftenimplemented using an operational amplifier. The TIA can be used toamplify^([1]) the current output of Geiger-Müller tubes, photomultiplier tubes, accelerometers, photodetectors, such as but notlimited to photodetectors in fiber optic communication systems, as wellas other types of sensors to generate a usable voltage.Current-to-voltage converters are also often used with sensors that havea current response that is more linear than the voltage response. Thisis the case with photodiodes where it is not uncommon for the currentresponse to have better than 1% linearity over a wide range of lightinput. Thus, the transimpedance amplifier ideally presents a lowimpedance to the photodiode and isolates it from the output voltage ofthe operational amplifier. One common factor of transimpedanceamplifiers is an ability to convert the low-level current of a sensor toa voltage. The gain, bandwidth, current and voltage offsets change withdifferent types of sensors (such as photodetectors), requiring differentconfigurations of transimpedance amplifiers.

When configured in a communication system or data exchange system, thebandwidth of the transimpedance amplifier is of importance due to thetrend for communication systems to operate at higher speeds with eachnew product release. One aspect of a TIA that affects bandwidthcapabilities is an ability to support a wide range of input capacitance.This is an important requirement for TIA for optical communicationapplications. Maintaining sufficient bandwidth during operation oftransimpedance amplifiers under various input capacitance is also animportant requirement.

As demand continues to increase for high sensitivity of the TIA alongwith lower cost TIA designs, the main driving force is to replace theAPD-based receivers (avalanche photodiode) with the PIN-based (p-i-nphotodiode) type devices. APD-based receivers are more expensive due tohigher cost to manufacture and require external circuitry to controltemperature compensation.

A typical PIN-based optical receiver consists of a photodiode and a TIA.It is well known that the photodiode capacitance at the input of a TIAcan significantly degrade the bandwidth and the sensitivity. Recently,new generation of Super-TIAs became available with promise of ultra-highsensitivity but require minimum photodiode capacitances to achieve suchlow input referred noise (IRN). While it is a possible solution, it isnot without drawbacks. Low capacitance photodetectors require smalloptical apertures which are more expensive to manufacture due to lowproduction yield. Therefore, there is a need in the art to develop a TIAtopology which has high tolerance and flexibility to accommodate a wideinput capacitance range, thereby providing a cost effective and widelyapplication solution.

In addition, with cost still a controlling factor, more and moreinexpensive lasers are now commonly used in 2.5 Gbps data rateapplications. However, such low cost lasers are known to exhibit laserrelaxation oscillation phenomena at certain frequency as shown in FIG.(1).

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary plot of optical signal magnitude overtime. The horizontal axis 112 represents time while the vertical axis116 represents signal magnitude. The plots, which are overlapping andcollective, show poor signal eye quality due to laser relaxationoscillation. Laser relaxation frequency is induced by unwanted coherentoptical feed-back from an external target. The problem with laserrelaxation oscillation is its high frequency content introducesaberration glitches that reduce receiver eye opening and thus greatlydegrade receiver sensitivity. This interferes with a receiver's abilityto accurately recover the transmitted signal.

A number of TIA designs are possible. FIGS. 2A & 2B, both single stageand multistage-stage amplifiers are commonly used in TIA designs. Asshown in FIG. 2A, the TIA 204 an optical signal input 208, such as froman optical fiber 212. A photodetector 216 receives the optical signal208. Any type photodetector 216 may be used subject to meetingspecification requirements for the TIA and application of the TIA. Thephotodetector 216 is connected between a ground node 216 an input to anamplifier 230. The photodetector 216 has an inherent capacitance Cpd224. The capacitance Cpd 224 is not a separate element but is part ofthe photodetector 216 and will vary with the brand and type ofphotodetector used in the TIA 204.

The optical signal presented to the photodetector 216 is converted to anelectrical signal and sent to the amplifier 230. The amplifier 230 maycomprise an operational amplifier or any type of low noise amplifiercapable of serving in a TIA environment and amplifying the output of aphotodetector 216. The output of the amplifier 230 is presented on theTIA output 240 and fed back through a resistor RF 234 to the input ofthe TIA. The resistor RF 234 and the amplifier are part of the TIA andtypically co-located on an integrated circuit. The resistor RF 234 inthe feedback path converts the input current to a voltage and set thegain of the amplifier. Gain is defined as Vout/Iin=RF.

The TIA design may be expanded multiple stages as shown in FIG. 2B. FIG.2B illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary multistage-stageamplifiers in a TIA. As compared to FIG. 2A, identical or similarelements are labeled with identical reference numbers. In thisembodiment, a first stage amplifier 230 connects to one or moreadditional stages, shown by dashed line, up to an Ntn stage amplifier230N. By adding additional stages, gain can be increased.

Prior art TIA designs, such as that shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, are verysensitive to input photodetector capacitance Cpd and lack capability toimprove eye quality deterioration that is caused by the laser relaxationoscillation blow-by.

The innovation described below overcomes these drawbacks in the priorart and provides additional benefits.

SUMMARY

A novel photodetector with a transimpedance amplifier is disclosed thatincludes a photodetector configured to receive and process an opticalsignal to generate a photodetector output that represents the opticalsignal. A transimpedance amplifier is configured to receive thephotodetector output. The transimpedance amplifier has a transimpedanceamplifier input and a transimpedance amplifier output. Thetransimpedance amplifier includes a first stage that includes atransistor and a load element such that the first stage is connected tothe photodetector output and also includes a first stage output.

A second stage is also part of this embodiment and it includes atransistor and a load element such that the second stage has an inputthat is connected to the first stage output. The second stage has asecond stage output. A third stage comprising a transistor and a loadelement, the third stage having an input connected to the second stageoutput. The output of the third stage forms the transimpedance amplifieroutput. Also part of this embodiment is a feedback loop includingfeedback resistor such that the feedback loop is connected between thetransimpedance amplifier output and the transimpedance amplifier input.A bandwidth extender is also part of this embodiment. The bandwidthextender includes an active element connected between the first stageoutput and the second stage output.

In one configuration, the active element in the bandwidth extender is aFET such that the FET has a gate terminal connected to the second stageoutput and a drain terminal connected to the first stage output. Thebandwidth extender may be configured to provide positive feedback fromthe second stage output to the first stage output to increase the gainof the transimpedance amplifier. The transimpedance amplifier mayfurther include a switch configured to receive an enable signal thatselectively enables or disables the bandwidth extender. In oneconfiguration, the first stage, second stage, and third stage include aFET acting as an amplifier and an active load.

A transimpedance amplifier is disclosed that includes an inputconfigured to receive the transimpedance amplifier input signal and oneor more amplifiers stages such that each of the one or more stages has astage input and a stage output. Also part of the transimpedanceamplifier is a bandwidth extender connected between a stage output and astage input, the bandwidth extender including at least one active deviceconfigured to provide positive feedback from the stage output to thestage input.

In one embodiment, the bandwidth extender is configured to beselectively enabled and disabled. The step of selective enabling anddisabling is responsive to a control signal. Disabling the bandwidthextender filters out high frequency content of a relaxation oscillationsignal. In one configuration the one or more stages consist of one stagewith an input and an output, and the bandwidth extender is connectedbetween the one stage input and the one stage output. In anotherembodiment, the one or more stages comprise a first stage, a secondstage, a third stage, a fourth stage and a fifth stage, such that eachstage has an input and an output, and the bandwidth extender isconnected between a second stage input and a fourth stage output.

Also disclosed herein is a method for processing a photodetector outputwith a transimpedance amplifier to generate a corresponding amplifiedvoltage. In this exemplary embodiment, this method includes receivingthe photodetector output current at a first stage amplifier of atransimpedance amplifier that has one or more amplifier stages. Thetransimpedance amplifier also receives a feedback signal from a feedbackpath at the first stage amplifier such that the feedback path includesfeedback resistor. Then amplifying the feedback signal and thephotodetector output with the one or more amplifier stages to generate atransimpedance amplifier output signal. The transimpedance amplifieroutput signal is then presented as an input to the feedback path. Thismethod of operation also performs bandwidth enhancement by amplifying anamplifier stage output signal from one of the one or more amplifierstage and presents the amplifier stage output signal to an input of theone or more amplifier stages to increase the gain of at least oneamplifier stage to thereby increase the bandwidth of the transimpedanceamplifier.

This method of operation may also include receiving a control signal toselectively enable or disable bandwidth enhancement. The method ofoperation may also include the step of detecting unwanted high frequencycontent in the transimpedance amplifier output or photodetector output,such as by filtering, and responsive thereto disabling the bandwidthenhancement. The one or more stages may be three stages. In oneconfiguration, the photodetector or transimpedance amplifier operates at2.5 Gbps data rate or higher. In one embodiment, the method is performedin a ROSA package of a passive optical network. The step of performingbandwidth enhancement may occur by amplifying an amplifier stage outputsignal.

Other systems, methods, features and advantages of the invention will beor will become apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination ofthe following figures and detailed description. It is intended that allsuch additional systems, methods, features and advantages be includedwithin this description, be within the scope of the invention, and beprotected by the accompanying claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The components in the figures are not necessarily to scale, emphasisinstead being placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention.In the figures, like reference numerals designate corresponding partsthroughout the different views.

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary plot of optical signal magnitude overtime showing coherent optical feed-back.

FIG. 2A illustrates a prior art single stage transimpedance amplifier.

FIG. 2B illustrates a prior art multistage-stage transimpedanceamplifier.

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary environment of use of the improved TIAdesign as disclosed herein

FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary TIA and photodetector located in areceiver optical sub assembly (ROSA).

FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary TIA with a bandwidth extender circuit.

FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary circuit level diagram of a 3 stage TIAdesign with bandwidth extender.

FIG. 7 illustrates an exemplary single stage TIA with a bandwidthextender.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example embodiment of a five stage TIA with abandwidth extender.

FIG. 9 illustrates a simplified circuit diagram of a two stage TIA withbandwidth extender presented for discussion purposes.

FIGS. 10A and 10B illustrates exemplary plots of bandwidth versusfrequency without and with the bandwidth extender.

FIG. 11 of a flow chart of an exemplary method of operation of the TIAwith bandwidth extender.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary environment of use of the improved TIAdesign as disclosed herein. This is but one possible example embodimentand it is contemplated that the improved TIA design may be used in anyenvironment that utilizes a TIA. This example environment is in a fiberlink 304 between and as part of communication devices. As shown, aninput signal 308 is presented to a laser driver 312. The driver 312amplifies the signal to a magnitude and current level suitable fordriving an optical signal generator 316, such as a laser or any otheroptical signal generating device. The optical signal generator 316creates an optical signal 320 which is presented to a fiber optic orother transmission medium. At an opposing end of the fiber 324 thereceived optical signal 328, which is degraded due to passage throughthe fiber 324, is presented as an output.

A photodetector 332, such as a photodiode, receives the optical signal328 and converts the optical signal 328 to an electrical signal on anamplifier input node 336. The amplifier 340, which is part of the TIA342, amplifies the input signal from the photodetector 332 and providesthe amplified signal as an output. In this embodiment, the amplifier 340converts an input current to an output voltage. The output is presentedto a feedback resistor RF 344 and as an input to a limiting amplifier350. The amplifier output provided to the feedback resistor 344 ispresented as a feedback signal to the input of the amplifier 340. Thefeedback resistor 344 sets the gain based on the Vout/Iin relationship.

Also part of the TIA 342 is a bandwidth extender module 348 thatconnects to the amplifier 340, or to the input and output of theamplifier. The bandwidth extender module 348 is discussed below in moredetail. The bandwidth extender module 348 may be selectively enabled toselectively increase or decrease the bandwidth of the TIA. A controlinput 346 provides a control signal to the bandwidth extender module 348to selectively enable and disable the bandwidth extender module.

The limiting amplifier 350 may be a RF and microwave limiting amplifierswhich may be manufactured with thin film hybrid manufacturing techniquesor any other manufacturing process to maximize performance,repeatability, and reliability. The frequency range may be from 10 MHzto 4 GHz, or higher than 4 GHz. In this embodiment the input signal tothe limiting amplifier may be distorted to rail to rail output in orderto give a large signal to the other parts of the Rx (such as a clockdata recovery circuit). The limiting amplifier may be configured toperform amplitude compression by performing a limiting function, whichwill protect subsequent components from input overdrive

The output of the limiting amplifier 350 is presented to clock datarecovery circuit (CDR) 354. The CDR 354 aligns the data signal with theclock signal. As is understood, some data streams, especially high-speedserial data may be sent without an accompanying clock signal and thusmust be synchronized with a clock signal at a receiver. The receivergenerates a clock from an approximate frequency reference, and thenphase-aligns to the transitions in the data stream with a phase-lockedloop (PLL). This process is commonly known as clock and data recovery.The output of the CDR 354 is presented to one or more downstreamprocessing elements, such as an analog to digital converter.

FIG. 4 illustrates a TIA and photodetector located in a receiver opticalsub-assembly (ROSA). This is but one possible example embodiment and assuch different configurations are possible without departing from theclaims that follow. The ROSA module 404 includes a housing 408 that isconfigured to house and protect the electronics contained within thehousing and to mate with a fiber optic cable. Inside the ROSA 404 arefour connectors or pins to which subsequent electronics, such as thelimiting amplifier connect. These pins are the outputs 412A, 412B whichcarry the electrical output signal in a differential format. Additionalpins include a supply voltage Vcc 416 and a monitor current output(Imon) 420. The supply voltage pin 416 supplies power to the ROSA whilethe current monitor output pin 420 monitors output current.

Connected to the pins 412A, 412B, 416, 420 is a transimpedance amplifier(TIA) 426. The TIA 426 receives an electrical input from thephotodetector 430 which has associated capacitance, in this embodiment0.35 Pico farads. Also located on the ROSA 428 are one or morecapacitors 428, in this embodiment, one nano farad.

FIG. 5 illustrates a TIA with a bandwidth extender circuit. Thediscussion of the TIA associated with FIG. 3 is repeated herein. Similarelements are identified with identical reference numbers. Aphotodetector 332, such as a photodiode, receives the optical signal 328and converts the optical signal 328 to an electrical signal on anamplifier input node 336. The amplifier 340, which is part of the TIA342, amplifies the input signal from the photodetector 332 and providesthe amplified signal as an output on an output node 360. In thisembodiment, the amplifier 340 converts an input current to an outputvoltage. The output is presented to a feedback resistor RF 344 and as aninput to a limiting amplifier 350. The amplifier output provided to thefeedback resistor 344 is presented as a feedback signal to the input ofthe amplifier. The feedback resistor 344 sets the gain based on theVout/Iin relationship. This configuration may be expanded to additionalstages as would be understood from FIG. 2B and FIG. 6 described below.

Also part of the TIA 342 is a bandwidth extender module 348. Thatconnects to the amplifier 340, in this embodiment to the input andoutput of the amplifier. The bandwidth extender module 348 is discussedbelow in more detail. The bandwidth extender module 348 may beselectively enabled to selectively increase or decrease the bandwidth ofthe TIA. A control input 346 provides a control signal to the bandwidthextender module 348 to selectively enable and disable the bandwidthextender module.

FIG. 6 illustrates a circuit level diagram of a 3 stage TIA design withbandwidth extender. This is but one possible circuit levelimplementation with a focus on the components of interest. Otherembodiments are contemplated that may differ in configuration yet do notdepart from the claims that follow. In this example embodiment, aphotodetector 604 has an associated capacitance 608 (shown as a separateelement but is typically part of the photodetector itself). Thephotodetector 604 is configured or positioned to receive an opticalsignal, such as from a fiber optic cable (not shown). An output of thephotodetector 604 connects to a gate terminal of a field effecttransistor (FET) Q1 612. The FET Q1 612 has a source terminal connectedto ground and a drain terminal connected to an active load 644A, (whichis described below in greater detail) and to a second stage FET 626 ofthe TIA. The elements in dashed lines form the first stage 618 of theTIA.

The drain terminal of the FET Q1 612 connects to the second stage 622 ofthe TIA, and in particular to a gate terminal of FET Q2 626. A sourceterminal of the FET Q2 626 connects to ground while a drain terminal ofthe FET Q2 connects to an active load 644B which is described below indetail, and to a third stage 630 of the TIA. The third stage 630includes a FET Q3 634 that has a source terminal connected to ground anda drain terminal connected to an active load 644C (which is describedbelow in greater detail) and to an output node 640 of the TIA.

A feedback loop connects between the output of the photodetector 604(input to the TIA) and the output node 640 as shown. A feedback resistor650 is part of the feedback loop. The feedback loop provides negativefeedback to the input while the feedback resistor 650 converts inputcurrent to a voltage. Gain is set by the value of the feedback resistor650.

Associated with each stage are active loads elements 644A, 644B and644C. Each of these active load elements are generally similar and assuch, only one is described in detail below. In reference to active loadelement 644A, a source terminal of a FET Q5 654 connects to the drainterminal of FET Q1 612 as shown. A current source 652 provides an inputcurrent to the node established between the FET Q1 612 and the FET Q5654. A resistor 656 connects between the gate terminal and the drainterminal of the FET Q5 654. A resistor 658 connects the drain terminalof the FET Q5 to a power supply node.

In operation, the active load element 644A provides a load to the firststage FET Q1 612 to tune transfer curves and increase linearity of theTIA. This is but one possible example implementation of an active loadelement in a TIA and the load may change with design or application. Thebandwidth extender disclosed herein can work with any TIA and with orwithout an active load element.

Shown at the bottom FIG. 6 is the selectively enabled bandwidthextender. In this embodiment it includes a transistor Q4 660 is part ofa feedback loop from the gate terminal of a third stage FET Q3 634 andthe gate terminal of the second stage FET Q2 626. Although transistor Q4660 as shown as a FET, any type active device may be used. Also part ofthe bandwidth extender loop is a switch 664 responsive to a controlinput 668 (enable BW extend) to selectively allow the bandwidth extenderto be enabled and made a part of the TIA.

In operation, the transistor Q4, when enabled by the enable BW extendsignal, amplifies the feedback signal from the third stage to the outputof the first stage (input to the second stage). In this embodiment, thefeedback is positive feedback. Active device 660 is selected to have anamount of gain which maintains stability in the bandwidth extenderfeedback loop. If the active device 660 is too large, then peaking mayoccur such that high frequency gain will result in oscillation. If thegain is too low, then the bandwidth enhancement does not occur and thereis no difference or inadequate improvement in circuit performance. Thus,bandwidth extension is desired but without overshoot or ringing. Oneexemplary method for selection of an active device 660 which yields adesired gain is through circuit simulation.

By providing positive feedback with gain from the input to the thirdstage TIA to the output of the first stage TIA, the open loop gain isincreased. It is desired to have the input referred noise to be as lowas possible. The bandwidth extender provides positive feedback toincrease the output impedance of the first stage to reduce loading ofthe first stage.

Although the bandwidth extender is described herein as an enable ordisable signal, such as a single bit signal, it is also contemplatedthat the control signal may be a multibit signal which sets varyinglevel of positive feedback to the proceeding stages of the amplifierstages. For example, with a two bit control input, additional levels ofcontrol are available to custom tailor the amount of bandwidth extendinggain is presented as positive feedback.

FIG. 7 illustrates a single stage TIA with a bandwidth extender. Ascompared to FIG. 6, similar elements are labeled with common referencednumbers. Because this is a single stage embodiment, the values of eachindividual component will vary from the embodiment of FIG. 6. As shown,the output 640 of the TIA feeds into a gate terminal of the transistor612. The source terminal of the transistor 612 connects to ground whilethe drain terminal connects to the active load 644A.

The TIA output node is the drain terminal of the transistor 612. Thefeedback resistor RF 650 connects between the input to the gate terminalof the transistor 612 and the output node 640.

In this single stage embodiment the bandwidth extender feedback loop isconfigured the same as in FIG. 6 with the active element 660 and switch664 connected between the output node 640 and the input (gate terminal)to the transistor 612. Operation of the bandwidth extender is generallyidentical but the values and/or sizes of each element may vary.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example embodiment of a five stage TIA with abandwidth extender. As compared to FIGS. 6 and 7, identical elements arelabeled with identical reference numbers. In this embodiment thefeedback resistor connects to the input to the first stage FET and theoutput node. The bandwidth extender connects between the output of thefirst stage and the input to the fifth (last) stage. Operation of thebandwidth extender is generally identical but the values and/or sizes ofeach element may vary.

FIG. 9 illustrates a simplified circuit diagram of a two stage TIA withbandwidth extender presented for discussion purposes. In this examplecircuit diagram, an input 904 is present to receive a signal. Althoughshown in other embodiments as receiving a signal from a photodetector,it is contemplated and expected that any embodiment herein may be pairedwith devices other than a photodetector or optical front end.

The input 904 connects to a first stage transistor 908 at a gateterminal. The source terminal of the first stage transistor 908 connectsto ground while the drain terminal connects to a first resistor 912. Theoutput node 916 of the first stage transistor 908 feeds into a gateterminal of a second stage transistor 920. The source terminal of thesecond stage transistor 920 connects to ground while the drain terminalconnects to a second resistor 924.

The output of the second stage transistor 920 is presented on an outputnode 928. A feedback loop extends from the output node 928 to the node916. A third transistor 932 is located in the feedback loop as shownconnected between the gate terminal and drain terminal.

Using FIG. 9 as a guide, the method and apparatus disclosed herein hasmany advantages over the prior art. Multistage inverter TIA designs hadbeen popular in achieving high sensitivity to support 2.5 Gbps GPON(gigabit passive optical network) applications. For example, GPONsystems, have been shown to achieve over −31 dBm of sensitivity byreducing the input referred noise (IRN) to less than 90 nA rms. However,as discussed above are two major drawbacks with existing TIAtopologies: 1) sensitivity performance is highly depended on the inputphotodiode capacitance. 2) There is no provision to effectively suppresslaser relaxation oscillation.

The transimpedance amplifier (TIA) with bandwidth extender techniqueovercomes these drawbacks. The simplified two stage design shown in FIG.9 aids in the understanding of these benefits and how the prior artissues are overcome. The gain of the bandwidth extender (feedback loopwith the third transistor 932) is defined as gm4*RL1. Without the thirdtransistor 932 gain “gm4*RL1” (which may be referred to as abootstrapping factor), the gain of the 1st stage is reduced to“gm1*RL1”. RL1 is the resistance value of the first resistor 912 and theterm gm1 is defined as transconductance, which is a measure of theconductance of a component. RL is the active or passive load. Gm of thedevice controls or is an aspect that affects gain.

The gain of the bandwidth extender is defined as gm4*RL1 and thusincreases the gain and the effective output impedance of the first stage(elements 908, 912). Because the first stage gain is increased, theTIA's open-loop gain, defined as Ao (open loop gain), is increased also.

Working from the basic TIA feedback equation which defines bandwidth asBW=(1+Ao)/(Cin*Rf) where Cin is the photodiode capacitance Cpd plus theamplifier input capacitance Cg, while Rf is the shunt feedback resistor.This equation shows that the TIA's bandwidth will be extended by higheropen loop gain Ao, created by the feedback gain from the bandwidthextender. Increases in the value of Ao increase bandwidth of the TIA.Increasing the value of RL (shown in FIG. 9) and the feedback thatcauses the gain of the first stage to appear higher and that causes theincrease in bandwidth.

The equations that define gain of the first stage are thus defined as:

W/O Bootstrap=gm1*RL1

W/Bootstrap=(gm1*RL1)+(gm4*RL1)

Therefore, by enabling the bandwidth extending loop, the loss ofbandwidth due to higher input capacitance of the photodetector can becompensated. This allows a wider range of photodetectors to be used,which can add design flexibility and allows for use of reduced costphotodetectors.

As shown in FIG. 6, a switch may be presented in any embodiment of thebandwidth extender feedback loop as shown in FIG. 6. By disabling thebandwidth extender, such as by opening a switch or any other means, thebandwidth extender is disabled and the output impedance of the firststage will be decreased and thus bandwidth is reduced accordingly. Thus,the bandwidth extender may be selectively enabled and disabled. Bydisabling the bandwidth extender the bandwidth is reduced, which providethe benefit of limiting the TIA's bandwidth offers an opportunity tofilter out the high frequency content of the relaxation oscillationsignal by suppressing it at the input. Stated another way, by limitingthe TIA bandwidth the laser relaxation effect can be suppressed.Therefore, it is also desirable to have the option of reducing the TIAbandwidth (by disabling the bandwidth enable circuit or loop) toaccommodate inexpensive lasers to further reduce the overall receiversystem cost.

FIGS. 10A and 10B illustrates exemplary plots of bandwidth in relationto output frequency with and without the bandwidth extender. These plotsare from simulations of actual circuit performance but are exemplaryonly and other embodiments and elements may yield different numericvalues. In both FIGS. 10A and 10B, the vertical axis 1004 representsgain while the horizontal axis represents frequency.

In FIG. 10A, the two plots are both without the bandwidth extenderfeatures present in the circuit, or if present, not enabled. The firstplot 1020 is with the capacitance of the photodetector at 0.75pico-farads. Thus, with the moderately high photodetector inputcapacitance the gain falls off at higher frequency. Based on thesecircuit test results, the TIA would not be suitable for use at 2.5 Gbps.The second plot 1024 is with the capacitance of the photodetector at0.15 pico-farads. Thus, the lower photodetector input capacitance allowsthe suitable gain to be extended to higher frequencies as compared toplot 1020. However, it is contemplated that the 0.15 pico-faradsphotodetector would cost considerably more than the photodetector with acapacitance of 0.75 pico-farads.

Turning to FIG. 10B, both plots are created with a photodetector with ahigh capacitance of 0.75 pico-farads. A third plot 1030 is without thebandwidth extender while a fourth plot 1034 is with the bandwidthextender enabled. As shown, the gain of the plot 1030 drop off at higherfrequency but when the bandwidth extender is enabled, such as by beingswitched it into the TIA circuit, the gain at higher frequencyincreases, thereby enabling operation at higher frequencies. In thisexample embodiment, the bandwidth is improved by 40% over the situationwith the bandwidth extender is not enabled. This is a significantperformance increase given the complexity and cost of the bandwidthextender.

FIG. 11 of a flow chart of an exemplary method of operation of the TIAwith bandwidth extender. This is but one method of operation and it iscontemplated that other methods of operation may occur without departingfrom the claims that follow. At a step 1104 the bandwidth extendercircuit or feedback path is enabled or disabled. This may occur based ona control signal from a controller or other element configured toautomatically detect operation parameters. The enable signal may also bemanually set, such as by a user or system operation. This step may alsooccur during operation such as by comparing bit error rates or otherperformance parameters by automatically comparing performance with andwithout the bandwidth extender and selecting the option that yields thebest performance.

At a step 1108, the TIA receives the input signal from a photodetectorat a first stage of the TIA. As discussed below, additional feedbacksignals are also received at the TIA input and processed duringoperation. Then at a step 1112, the first TIA stage amplifies the inputsignal to create a first TIA output signal. At a step 1116, the systemamplifies the first TIA stage output and a feedback signal from abandwidth extender with a second TIA stage to create a second TIAoutput. At step 1120 the second TIA output is presented to a third TIAstage and the third TIA stage amplifies the third TIA stage output.Then, at a step 1128 the third TIA stage amplifies the second TIA outputto create the TIA output. In this example method of operation there arethree TIA stage but in other embodiment a greater or fewer number of TIAstages may be present.

At a step 1128 the TIA output, which is the output from the third TIAstage, is presented as a feedback signal to the TIA input, through afeedback resistor. At a step 1132, the bandwidth extender device orcircuit processes the TIA output to create a bandwidth extender output.At a step 1136 the output of the bandwidth extender is presented as afeedback signal to an earlier TIA stage, such as the second TIA stage.This input from the bandwidth extender increases the gain of the firststage, thereby increasing the bandwidth capabilities of the TIA.

While various embodiments of the invention have been described, it willbe apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that many moreembodiments and implementations are possible that are within the scopeof this invention. In addition, the various features, elements, andembodiments described herein may be claimed or combined in anycombination or arrangement.

What is claimed is:
 1. A transimpedance amplifier comprising: atransimpedance amplifier having a transimpedance amplifier input and atransimpedance amplifier output, the transimpedance amplifier inputconfigured to receive an input signal, the transimpedance amplifierincluding; a first stage comprising a transistor and a load element, thefirst stage connected to receive the input signal and having a firststage output; a second stage comprising a transistor and a load element,the second stage connected to the first stage output and having a secondstage output; a third stage comprising a transistor and a load element,the third stage connected to the second stage output and forming thetransimpedance amplifier output; a first feedback loop includingfeedback resistor, the feedback loop connected between to thetransimpedance amplifier output and the transimpedance amplifier input;and a bandwidth extender including an active element, a bandwidthextender connected between the first stage output and the second stageoutput.
 2. The transimpedance amplifier of claim 1, wherein the activeelement in the bandwidth extender is a FET such that the FET has a gateterminal connected to the second stage output and a drain terminalconnected to the first stage output.
 3. The transimpedance amplifier ofclaim 1, wherein the bandwidth extender is configured to providepositive feedback from the second stage output to the first stage outputto increase the gain of the transimpedance amplifier.
 4. Thetransimpedance amplifier of claim 1 further comprising a switchconfigured to receive an enable signal that selectively enables ordisables the bandwidth extender.
 5. The transimpedance amplifier ofclaim 1 wherein the first stage, second stage, and third stage include aFET acting as an amplifier and an active load or a passive load.
 6. Atransimpedance amplifier comprising: an input configured to receive atransimpedance amplifier input signal; one or more amplifiers stages,each of the one or more stages having a stage input and a stage output;a bandwidth extender connected between a stage output and a stage input,the bandwidth extender including at least one active device configuredto provide positive feedback from the stage output to the stage input.7. The transimpedance amplifier of claim 6 wherein the bandwidthextender is configured to be selectively enabled and disabled.
 8. Thetransimpedance amplifier of claim 7, wherein the selective enabling anddisabling is responsive to a control signal.
 9. The transimpedanceamplifier of claim 6, wherein disabling the bandwidth extender filtersout high frequency content of a laser relaxation oscillation signal. 10.The transimpedance amplifier of claim 6, wherein the one or more stagescomprise one stage with an input and an output, and the bandwidthextender is connected between the one stage input and the one stageoutput.
 11. The transimpedance amplifier of claim 6, wherein the one ormore stages comprise a first stage, a second stage, a third stage, afourth stage and a fifth stage, with each stage having an input and anoutput, and the bandwidth extender is connected between a second stageinput and a fourth stage output.
 12. A method for processing an inputcurrent with a transimpedance amplifier to generate a correspondingamplified voltage comprising: receiving the input current at a firststage amplifier of the transimpedance amplifier, the transimpedanceamplifier having one or more amplifier stages that includes a firststage amplifier; receiving a feedback signal from a feedback path at thefirst stage amplifier, the feedback path including feedback resistor;amplifying the feedback signal and the input current with the one ormore amplifier stages to generate a transimpedance amplifier outputsignal; presenting the transimpedance amplifier output signal as aninput to the feedback path; performing bandwidth enhancement byamplifying an amplifier stage output signal from one or more of the oneor more amplifier stages and presenting the amplified amplifier stageoutput signal as positive feedback to an input of the one or moreamplifier stages to increase the gain of at least one amplifier stage ofone or more amplifier stages of the transimpedance amplifier to therebyincrease the bandwidth of the transimpedance amplifier.
 13. The methodof claim 12, further comprising receiving a control signal toselectively enable or disable bandwidth enhancement.
 14. The method ofclaim 12 further comprising detecting unwanted high frequency content inthe transimpedance amplifier input and responsive thereto disabling thebandwidth enhancement.
 15. The method of claim 12 wherein the one ormore stages comprises three stages.
 16. The method of claim 12 whereinthe transimpedance amplifier operates at multi-data rates, higher orlower than 2.5 Gbps.
 17. The method of claim 12 wherein the method isperformed in a ROSA or other type optical packages of a passive opticalnetwork.
 18. The method of claim 12 wherein performing bandwidthenhancement occurs by amplifying an amplifier stage output signal.